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Letter: Purdue should find way to display monument to Dean Stone

J&C readers
Published 11:38 a.m. ET Dec. 21, 2018

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Pedestrians pass the Purdue University marker Thursday, October 11, 2018, at the corner of State and Grant streets in West Lafayette. The marker is in honor of M. Beverly Stone, former Dean of Students.(Photo: John Terhune/Journal & Courier)Buy Photo

I am a freshman at Central Catholic, and I was named after Amelia Earhart who said, “Women, like men, should try to do the impossible. And when they fail, their failure should be a challenge to others."

In my opinion, Amelia Earhart’s biggest accomplishment was not her flights, but her dedication and inspiration to women. Amelia Earhart lived in the Purdue residence halls when she taught at Purdue and she would often hold conversations at dinner and in her room inspiring Purdue women.

Many people do not know that Dorothy Stratton, one of Purdue's Dean of Women, was friends with Amelia Earhart. Both Dorothy and Amelia helped to support and promote women at Purdue. Dean Stratton and Amelia Earhart forged a path to make Purdue better for women.

Last year, I spent a year researching Dean Stratton for my National History Day project, and Dorothy has become a hero of mine. This tradition of helping and promoting women continued with the next four Purdue deans: Helen Schleman, M. Beverley Stone, Barbara Cook and Betty Nelson. There is a wonderful book, "The Deans’ Bible: Five Purdue Women and Their Quest for Equality," by Angie Klink, which highlights this rich Purdue history. Each Dean made Purdue a better university, and they should be celebrated.

As part of my research, my mom and I went around campus looking at the deans' monuments. Now Purdue University is considering tearing down Dean Stone’s monument. These deans transformed Purdue so that students like me aspire to go to Purdue. We should all strive to learn from the past, and now it is going to be taken down so the memory will be lost. Generations of future Boilermakers will not know Dean Stone’s impact.

Purdue should do the right thing and keep Dean Stone’s monument prominently displayed.

Amelia Ringor

Lafayette

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